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Reclaim the Block

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Political advocacy group

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Reclaim the Block is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based political organization that advocates for the defunding of the Minneapolis Police Department. 1 The group was organized in 2018 as a coalition of Minneapolis-area activists to pressure the Minneapolis City Council during the budget process. 2

Lobbying efforts led by Reclaim the Block and activist allies have resulted in the reallocation of over $1 million for proposed police hires3 and in commitments by a majority of Minneapolis councilmembers to initiate the dissolution of city’s police force. 4

Protests and civil unrest following the 2020 death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis police custody, brought additional attention to Reclaim the Block’s advocacy. 5 The incident became a catalyst across the United States for increased police scrutiny and broader calls by left-of-center activists for the defunding and abolition of police departments.

Mission and History

Reclaim the Block organizes activists and pressures city lawmakers in support of reduced funding for Minneapolis police. 6 The organization supports diverting public dollars from the police budget into “community-led health and safety strategies.” 7

Prior to Reclaim the Block’s founding, a coalition of community activists in Minneapolis launched the MPD150 project in 2017 to develop “a practical pathway for dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department.” 8 Inspired by MPD150’s research, many of these same activists helped organize Reclaim the Block in 2018 to reduce police funding in the 2019 Minneapolis budget process. 9

Representing several activist groups, including the Black Visions Collective, the new movement called for the city to divest 5% of police funding from the Minneapolis police budget. The efforts were ultimately successful in convincing the Minneapolis City Council to divert $1.1 million from Mayor Jacob Frey’s (D) proposed budget into the creation of an Office of Violence Prevention and alternative community programs. 10 The diverted funds were originally intended to pay for eight new police officers in Minneapolis. 11

The following year, Reclaim the Block returned to the budget fight in demanding the removal of a $2 million earmark for the hiring of fourteen new officers proposed by Mayor Frey for the 2020 fiscal year. 12 While the 2020 budget passed with a 5% increase in funding for the police department, the funds proposed for the new hires were reallocated to pay for a new cadet class instead. 13

Affiliated Organizations

Black Visions Collective

The radical-left Black Visions Collective describes itself as a “Black-led, Queer and Trans centering organization.” 14 Reclaim the Block credits this group for providing the “skills and vision” critical to its work. 15

Members of the Minneapolis Black Lives Matter affiliate helped establish the Black Visions Collective in 2017. 16 The organization’s executive director Kandace Montgomery is also a member of Reclaim the Block. 17

MPD150

MPD150 is a Minneapolis-based project that facilitated the creation of Reclaim the Block. In 2017, MPD150 marked the 150th anniversary of the Minneapolis police department with the release of a 36-page report providing a radical-left interpretation of the history of local law enforcement. 18

As a core finding, MPD150 holds that “police were established to protect the interests of the wealthy and racialized violence has always been a part of that mission”19 and insists on the eventual abolition of the city’s police force. 20 MPD150 also claims that police departments were originally created to persecute minorities and continue to be harmful to minority communities. 21

Resources developed by MPD150 call for a transition to a “police-free future” by replacing police functions with community-based social services. To this end, MPD150 proposes the reallocation of police funds into housing, education, healthcare, and employment programs. 22

According to MPD150’s website, the project is “horizontally organized” and does not operate under the purview of any specific organization. 23 However, according to reports, the Black Visions Collective is an instrumental part of MPD15024 and Reclaim the Block member Tony Williams is a contributor to MPD150’s work. 25

NGP VAN

NGP VAN, Inc. is a privately owned technology company that specializes in providing data management services to Democratic campaigns and left-of-center non-profits. 26 Both Reclaim the Block and the Black Visions Collective solicit online donations using NGP VAN’s EveryAction fundraising platform for non-profits. 27 28

2020 Minneapolis Protests

In 2020, Minneapolis became the center of a national debate on racism and policing in the United States following the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a black man, died while being restrained by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department sparking protests against alleged police brutality. The officers involved later were charged with criminal offenses. 29

As tensions flared locally, and across the country, Reclaim the Block accelerated efforts to build public support for defunding police. A petition published on the group’s website accused police of “escalated violence” against the Black community and called for a halt to increases in police funding. 30 The petition also proposed a $45 million cut from the police budget to cover a loss of tax revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 31

On June 7, 2020, Reclaim the Block partnered with the Black Visions Collective to host a community meeting with members of the Minneapolis City Council. 32 At the event, nine councilmembers confirmed support for measures to dissolve Minneapolis Police Department. 33

However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, indicated strong opposition to the councilmembers and Reclaim the Block’s demands. At a march organized by the Black Visions Collective, Frey was heckled and forced to leave by demonstrators after confirming he did “not support the full abolition of the police.” 34

Leadership

According to an entry on Reclaim the Block’s Facebook page, the organization operates without a traditional leadership hierarchy. 35

Black Visions Collective executive director Kandace Montgomery is a Reclaim the Block member36 and is also the former lead organizer of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. 37 In 2014, she was charged with multiple offenses including trespassing after a Black Lives Matter rally at the Mall of America. The charges were later dropped. 38

MPD150 contributor Tony Williams has also been identified as a member of Reclaim the Block39 and at times has acted as an unofficial spokesman for the group. 40 In a National Public Radio interview in 2020, Williams responded to a question about how a police-free city would deal with crime, saying, “All of the answers to that require a lot more time than we have here today.” 41

Financials

As of June 8, 2020, Reclaim the Block is not listed in the Minnesota Attorney General’s online registry of charitable organizations42 and is not found in the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board registry. 43 The organization has not disclosed its budget or funding sources on its website. 44 However, an email address tied to Black Visions Collective is listed as point of contact for more information regarding grants from 501(c)(3) organizations and donations by mail. 45

Attention garnered in the wake of George Floyd’s death led to a massive influx of financial support for Reclaim the Block. The Minnesota Freedom Fund, a non-profit dedicated to paying bail for low-income individuals, raised over $20 million earmarked for arrested protestors. 46 As a result, the fund stopped accepting donations and encouraged supporters to contribute to other activist groups including Reclaim the Block and the Black Visions Collective. 47 Shortly thereafter, Reclaim the Block also appeared to discourage new donations and asked supporters to send assistance to allied organizations. 48

References

  1. Reclaim the Block, About Reclaim the Block. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home/#about
  2. Garcia, Isabella, “Minneapolis Activists Ask Local Leaders to Invest in Communities, Not Cops,” Yes! Magazine, January 9, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2020/01/09/invest-communities-not-cops/
  3. Collins, Jon, “Mpls. council moves to shift $1.1 million from police department,” Minneapolis Public Radio, December 1, 2018. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/11/30/mpls-budget-amendment-removes-million-dollars-police
  4. Navratil, Liz, “Most of Minneapolis City Council pledges to ‘begin the process of ending’ Police Department,” Star Tribune, June 8, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.startribune.com/mpls-council-majority-backs-dismantling-police-department/571088302/
  5. Bates, Josiah, and Vila, Lissandra, “ ‘You Can Only Demean People So Much.’ Minneapolis Activists Aren’t Surprised a National Movement Started There,” Time, June 3, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://time.com/5846248/minneapolis-george-floyd-police-activists/
  6. Reclaim the Block, About Reclaim the Block. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home/#about
  7. Reclaim the Block, About Reclaim the Block. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home/#about
  8. MPD150, About. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.mpd150.com/about/
  9. Garcia, Isabella, “Minneapolis Activists Ask Local Leaders to Invest in Communities, Not Cops,” Yes! Magazine, January 9, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2020/01/09/invest-communities-not-cops/
  10. Garcia, Isabella, “Minneapolis Activists Ask Local Leaders to Invest in Communities, Not Cops,” Yes! Magazine, January 9, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2020/01/09/invest-communities-not-cops/
  11. Jones, Hannah, “Minneapolis Police Department budget cut by $1M to fund public safety programs instead,” City Pages, December 2, 2018. Accessed June 9, 2020. http://www.citypages.com/news/minneapolis-police-department-budget-cut-by-1m-to-fund-public-safety-programs-instead/501824851
  12. Reclaim the Block, “Reclaim the Block presents vision for a safer Minneapolis, urges City Council to address root causes of violence instead of adding 14 cops,” November 7, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d8faf6f8ba16e7343478cdb/t/5dfabfafb2c1564071cf06dc/1576714160336/RTB+release+11719.pdf
  13. Lee, Jessica, “With budget moves, Minneapolis Council looks to take middle path on public safety,” MinnPost, December 9, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2019/12/with-budget-moves-minneapolis-council-looks-to-take-middle-path-on-public-safety/
  14. Black Visions, About, Facebook. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/pg/LitBLVC/about/
  15. Reclaim the Block, “About Reclaim the Block,” Facebook, October 31, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/pg/reclaimtheblock/about/
  16. Otárola, Miguel, “Movement to defund police sees Minneapolis as proving ground,” Star Tribune, June 9, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.startribune.com/movement-to-defund-police-sees-minneapolis-as-proving-ground/571116932/
  17. Bates, Josiah, and Vila, Lissandra, “ ‘You Can Only Demean People So Much.’ Minneapolis Activists Aren’t Surprised a National Movement Started There,” Time, June 3, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://time.com/5846248/minneapolis-george-floyd-police-activists/
  18. [1] MPD150, “Enough is Enough,” 2017. Accessed June 9, 2020.  https://www.mpd150.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/mpd150_report-compressed%20(1).pdf
  19. MPD150, MPD150’s Five Essential Findings. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.mpd150.com/mpd150s-five-essential-findings/
  20. MPD150, “Enough is Enough,” 2017. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.mpd150.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/mpd150_report-compressed%20(1).pdf
  21. MPD150, Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.mpd150.com/faq/
  22. MPD150, About. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.mpd150.com/about/
  23. MPD150, About. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.mpd150.com/about/
  24. Garcia, Isabella,” Minneapolis Activists Ask Local Leaders to Invest in Communities, Not Cops,” Yes! Magazine, January 9, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2020/01/09/invest-communities-not-cops/
  25. Bates, Josiah, and Vila, Lissandra, “ ‘You Can Only Demean People So Much.’ Minneapolis Activists Aren’t Surprised a National Movement Started There,” Time, June 3, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://time.com/5846248/minneapolis-george-floyd-police-activists/
  26. NGP VAN, About. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.ngpvan.com/about
  27. Reclaim the Block, Support Reclaim the Block’s work & our broader movement, EveryAction. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2
  28. Black Visions Collective, Black Visions Donations, EveryAction. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://secure.everyaction.com/4omQDAR0oUiUagTu0EG-Ig2
  29. Sullum, Jacob. “Some of the Charges Stemming From George Floyd’s Death Should Trouble Criminal Justice Reformers,” June 10, 2020. https://reason.com/2020/06/10/some-of-the-charges-stemming-from-george-floyds-death-should-trouble-criminal-justice-reformers/.
  30. Reclaim the Block, Sign the Petition. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home/#petition
  31. Reclaim the Block, Sign the Petition. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home/#petition
  32. Fox 9, “Minneapolis City Council leaders to make ‘major announcement’ at Powderhorn Park on future of city’s police,” June 7, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-city-council-leaders-to-make-major-announcement-at-powderhorn-park-on-future-of-citys-police
  33. Navratil, Liz, “Most of Minneapolis City Council pledges to ‘begin the process of ending’ Police Department,” Star Tribune, June 8, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.startribune.com/mpls-council-majority-backs-dismantling-police-department/571088302/
  34. Moore, Janet, “Minneapolis Mayor Frey tells ‘DefundMPD’ marchers he favors reforms over disbanding,” Star Tribune, June 7, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020 https://www.startribune.com/frey-tells-defundmpd-marchers-he-favors-reforms-over-disbanding/571075452/
  35. Reclaim the Block, “About Reclaim the Block,” Facebook, October 31, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/pg/reclaimtheblock/about/
  36. Bates, Josiah, and Vila, Lissandra, “ ‘You Can Only Demean People So Much.’ Minneapolis Activists Aren’t Surprised a National Movement Started There,” Time, June 3, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://time.com/5846248/minneapolis-george-floyd-police-activists/
  37. Voqal, “Black History Month Spotlight: Kandace Montgomery,” February 13, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://voqal.org/black-history-month-spotlight-kandace-montgomery/
  38. ACLU Minnesota, “State of Minnesota v. Montgomery,” 2015. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.aclu-mn.org/en/cases/state-minnesota-v-montgomery
  39. Bates, Josiah, and Vila, Lissandra, “ ‘You Can Only Demean People So Much.’ Minneapolis Activists Aren’t Surprised a National Movement Started There,” Time, June 3, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://time.com/5846248/minneapolis-george-floyd-police-activists/
  40. Kelly, Mary Louise. “Activists Investigate The History Of Relationships MPD With African Americans,” NPR, May 29, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/05/29/865685697/activists-investigate-the-history-of-relationships-of-mpd-with-african-americans
  41. Kelly, Mary Louise. “Activists Investigate The History Of Relationships MPD With African Americans,” NPR, May 29, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/05/29/865685697/activists-investigate-the-history-of-relationships-of-mpd-with-african-americans
  42. Minnesota Attorney General. Search for Charities and Fundraisers. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Charity/Search/Default.asp
  43. Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Accesed June 9, 2020. https://cfb.mn.gov/reports-and-data/viewers/campaign-finance/political-committee-fund/
  44. Reclaim the Block, Home. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home/
  45. Reclaim the Block, Support Reclaim the Block’s work & our broader movement, EveryAction. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2
  46. Solender, Andrew and Sandler, Rachel, “Minnesota Freedom Fund Raises $20 Million In 4 Days Amid George Floyd Protests,” Forbes, May 30, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/05/30/minnesota-freedom-fund-raises-20-million-in-4-days-amid-george-floyd-protests/
  47. Solender, Andrew and Sandler, Rachel, “Minnesota Freedom Fund Raises $20 Million In 4 Days Amid George Floyd Protests,” Forbes, May 30, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/05/30/minnesota-freedom-fund-raises-20-million-in-4-days-amid-george-floyd-protests/
  48. Reclaim the Block, “Fundraising Update,” Facebook, May 31, 2020. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/reclaimtheblock/posts/652603431957867
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